As Uncle Merlin and I walked back into the half-destroyed mansion, a man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties, accompanied by several knights in armor, approached me.
"Young master, as you instructed, we have brought all the kidnap victims. We will return them to their families, and those without families will be placed in an orphanage."
"Thank you for your hard work, Sir Icarus. And please, be gentle with them. They've been through a lot."
Sir Icarus, the chief knight of the Everglen family, stands tall at 185cm, requiring me to look up when speaking to him. His sharp black eyes and night-dark black hair convey his sense of responsibility.
Although the Everglen family is renowned for its magic, the presence of a knight is also essential as the family's frontline protector. Naturally, as the head knight, Sir Icarus' strength is formidable enough to have earned the trust of Damian, my father, to the extent of being his confidant.
"Of course, I will do so. Then, young master, and Merlin, I'll take my leave," he said, offering a light salute before departing.
Watching Icarus' back slowly recede, I continued my stride into the mansion. My sole focus now was to rescue Kadita.
Merlin and I pressed onward. Unlike the other victims, who were held underground, Kadita's detention location was unique. She was locked in a room isolated by sealing magic. To gain access, I needed to dismantle the complex enchantments woven into the door.
The seal was designed to bar entry and sever the room from the outside world. It was enacted because Kadita had been ordered by a high-ranking noble.
'Damn it, they treat humans like goods'
After traversing a lengthy hallway, we caught sight of a door faintly illuminated at the end. It stood as the sole barrier between the walls of the corridor.
"That must be the door to the room where Kadita was locked up,"
Arriving in front of the door, I sensed mana densely compressed, forming an invisible barrier that prevented me from touching it.
"Then Uncle Merlin, would you please lend a hand?"
"Alright," Uncle Merlin replied to my request. He then extended his hand toward the door, channeling his mana. A complex magic circle materialized, and as if challenging Merlin's power, the magic circle cracked before finally shattering.
"Alright, now it's done, Young Master," Merlin said, withdrawing the flow of mana from his hand.
"Thank you"
Immediately, the wall, which should have been transparent, slowly liquefied and fell to the floor, the disappearance of the complicated magic circle rendering the doorway accessible.
-gulp
I felt a twinge of nerves as I stood before the door. Behind it awaited Kadita, known to be one of the chief antagonists in the Dawnfall story. She possessed one of the 'Sukma,' an ancient entity of great power.
'Wait, what was I thinking? Even though she's the villain of the main story, for now, she's just a vulnerable girl, unaware of her powers. My mission now is to ensure she doesn't succumb to darkness and to bring her to my side.'
After solidifying my resolve, I slowly reached for the doorknob and turned it, opening the door.
-opened
As soon as the door opened, I beheld a spacious nobleman's room, slightly smaller than the chamber befitting my status as a duke's descendant.
My attention was drawn to a young woman sitting on her bed, gazing up at the moon. Her long, sea-blue hair left a lasting impression on me.
'So she is Kadita'
"Stay here, Uncle Merlin," I said, before walking slowly towards the figure on the bed.
-step step step
As if unaware of my presence, Kadita's attention remained fixed on the moon, which shone brightly that night.
Right after standing beside her, I raised my voice softly.
"Hello."
As if just realizing my presence, she slowly turned her head towards me. Her empty blue eyes trembled as if frightened, as they met mine.
Her expressionless face was illuminated by the moonlight, revealing her fear-stricken countenance. At that moment, I realized she was on the verge of tears, her eyes betraying her deep-seated terror.
'I have to choose my words carefully, remain calm, and be strong, Fawwaz. I can do this,' I reminded myself, taking a deep breath to steady my nerves.
"Kadita, I'm Fawwaz Nor Everglen, here to save you."
I spoke with unwavering determination, my gaze locked onto her blank eyes. Though her expression remained stoic, I noticed her lips moving ever so slightly.
'I have to be cautious. I know she's been through a lot and doesn't trust anyone. To achieve my goal, I must earn her trust,' I reminded myself, recognizing the challenges ahead.
"...What are you talking about?"
After a few moments of silence, she finally spoke. The hoarseness of her voice conveyed the depth of her despair.
"I'm here to save you, Kadita."
"...Save me from what and who?"
"...Huh? Of course saving you from this mansion, from being enslaved by Reinhardt."
"Why do I have to be saved?"
'.... What?
***
"Why do I have to be saved?"
I asked, directing the question to the person who had come and casually talked about saving me or whatever.
"What are you saying? I don't understand."
His once steadfast blue eyes now trembled, indicating that perhaps he hadn't expected my response.
'Why do I need to be saved? This place is a place that deserves a rotten person like me.'
Growing up, I did terrible things—stealing money from others, while my mother despised me, wishing she had never given birth to me.
For many years, I resorted to crime in the slums just to survive, stealing from others to make ends meet.
That was the extent of my activities until I was kidnapped and, upon opening my eyes, found myself confined in a large cage with children my age.
In that harrowing incident, I ended up being purchased by a repulsive, overweight nobleman, whose lecherous gaze made my skin crawl.
Even though I was terrified, I felt powerless to change my circumstances. I soon realized I had been placed in this position to be groomed as a "gift" for the nobleman on his birthday.
Trapped in this room, I was utterly powerless. There was no way to escape; I couldn't even touch the door due to an invisible barrier blocking my path.
In the end, I resigned myself to my fate, spending my time gazing at the moon. At that moment, I recalled a favorite storybook about a knight on horseback rescuing a princess trapped in an old tower.
I couldn't help but feel a sense of unworthiness as I imagined myself in the same situation as the princess. A despicable person from the slums, I didn't believe I deserved such a fate.
"I'm a despicable person. Perhaps this situation is my atonement for all the terrible things I've done in the past,"
After pondering for a while, I responded to the man's question. As I observed his reaction, I noticed anger flicker across his face.
"DON'T JOKE. What do you mean by saying something like that?"
'...huh?'
"Don't speak as if you deserve this kind of treatment. No one deserves to be made into a slave."
'Why is this guy so angry?'
"What do you know? You're just a child of a rich noble. You don't know the sins I've committed in the past,"
I shouted desperately at him, feeling a surge of confusion and frustration. Why was I behaving like this? Even though he seemed like a good person, why was I yelling at him?
"Yeah, I don't know, but I still can't let you be treated like this."
'What's the reason for saying that? We just met for the first time'
"I'm a selfish person, so I won't stop until I get what I want. Come with me, and I'll take care of you. I'll be responsible for you. I won't let you feel cold or hungry, and I'll make sure no one hurts you,"
He suddenly extended his hand towards me, spouting what sounded like nonsense. I couldn't help but wonder, why he seemed to know so much about me from the beginning. But—
'I want to believe, I want to believe him. I want to believe his nonsense'
I finally grabbed his hand, my heart heavy with uncertainty. I could only hope that my decision at this moment was the right one.
"Thank you for believing in me," he said softly after I took his hand. His blue eyes shone brightly in the darkness of the room, and his snowy hair lifted slowly in the breeze coming from outside. His face was illuminated by the gentle moonlight, revealing a sense of calm and determination.
'Ahhhh, how silly, doesn't this guy look like the prince who saved the princess in the story I read?'
"You're smiling," he said with a smile.
Subconsciously, a smile appeared on my lips.
'So that's it, it's frustrating how quickly my heart opens up to some words'
"So how do we escape from this place? By teleporting?"
"We'll exit the normal way through the main door of the mansion."
"Huh, but what about the guards, and also the leader?"
"Ohh that, I've defeated them all."
'Huh?'
***
At a large mansion in the North, within one of its main rooms, a girl sat at a table, holding a report document as she read through it.
Her elegant and long grayish hair evoked the image of a high noble. The contrast between her gray hair and white skin was striking, while her large gray eyes suggested purity and wisdom. Her petite pink lips added to her overall beauty, marking her as a woman of exceptional grace.
"Are all these reports true?" she asked, scanning the document handed to her by a maid beside her.
"They are all correct milady, they are reports that have been verified by
"Hmmm, interesting. It seems that the rumors about him being an incompetent young master were false."
The woman returned the report to her desk, then stood up and walked out of the room.
"Please take care of the rest, I'm going to see Father. I have something to talk about regarding my engagement tomorrow."
"Yes Lady Olivia, I will take care of it."